Microsoft unfazed by 'lightweight' Apple software
The reaction came a day after Apple unveiled its new line of iPads and announced much of its software and upgrades would be free, including iWork, which competes with Microsoft's top-selling Office suite.
"Since iWork has never had much traction and was already priced like an afterthought, it's hardly a surprising or significant move," Microsoft corporate vice president Frank Shaw said on the company's corporate blog.
"So, when I see Apple drop the price of their struggling, lightweight productivity apps, I don't see a shot across our bow. I see an attempt to play catch up. I think they, like others, are waking up to the fact that we've built a better solution for people everywhere. People who want a single, simple, affordable device with the power and flexibility to enhance and support their whole day," Shaw said.
Surface comes with Office pre-loaded
Shaw also defended Microsoft's Surface, the tablet introduced a year ago which had little impact in the market and forced the Redmond, Washington, firm to take a huge write-down before revamping the device last month.
"Surface and Surface 2 both include Office for free," he added. Office is Microsoft's popular and powerful productivity software.
"Microsoft understands how people work better than any other company. We created the personal computing revolution by giving people around the world a low-cost, powerful, easy-to-use device that helped them accomplish an unbelievable array of tasks," Shaw said.
He claimed that the Surface is the most productive tablet on the market because of its Office suite. "It has more precise inputs like a keyboard and trackpad, and has the ability to use apps and documents side by side," he added.
Apple, which unveiled several products and upgrades this week, said that iWork and iLife software suites for tasks from video editing to mixing music and making business presentations would be free with all its devices.
"These are really incredibly rich apps, and we have only just scratched the surface of what you can do with them," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said.
"We are turning the industry on its ear, because we want our customers to have our latest software and access to the greatest new features," he said.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
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